1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water-disintegrable cleaning tool for removing dirt in a place where water is used such as a flush toilet, which can be disposed in water after use.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese patent application laid-open No. 62-186833 discloses the invention that relates to a disposable toilet cleaning brush for cleaning a flush toilet.
The toilet cleaning brush has a brush head formed of a paper made of short fibers as wood pulp and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a binder, wherein the paper has a plurality of cuts formed therein and is rolled to form the brush head. The toilet cleaning brush is attached to an end of a paper stick handle. After the toilet cleaning brush is used for wiping the toilet bowl, the toilet cleaning brush is disposed in a flush toilet together with the stick handle, and thereafter, both of which disintegrate in the water. Also disclosed there in is that a surface of the brush is subjected to wax treatment in order to adjust the time required for dissolving the paper.
The specification of the Japanese patent application laid-open No. 62-186833 describes that the time for cleaning the toilet bowl is so short that it requires only 10 to 20 seconds, and therefore the cleaning is completed before the paper constituting the toilet cleaning brush dissolves in the water.
However, being formed of the paper made of paper pulp bound with water-soluble CMC, the toilet cleaning brush starts swelling upon getting wet with water in cleaning the toilet bowl, and strength thereof becomes significantly reduced. Therefore, the dirt adhered to the toilet bowl is hardly wiped off. Also, due to the wax treatment which the brush is subjected to, the brush has a problem that a wax component thereof prevents disintegration of the paper, and therefore it requires a long time for the brush to disintegrate in the water in a water-purifier tank, etc.
In addition, being formed of a rolled paper having cuts formed therein, the toilet cleaning brush has a low rigidity which makes it difficult to rub the toilet bowl therewith and effectively remove the dirt adhered to the toilet bowl, etc.